Global Patent Index - EP 0746965 A4

EP 0746965 A4 19961016 - CIRCUIT FOR DRIVING A GAS DISCHARGE LAMP LOAD

Title (en)

CIRCUIT FOR DRIVING A GAS DISCHARGE LAMP LOAD

Title (de)

SCHALTUNG ZUM STEUERN EINER ENTLADUNGSLAMPE

Title (fr)

CIRCUIT POUR EXCITER UNE INSTALLATION DE LAMPES A DECHARGE DE GAZ

Publication

EP 0746965 A4 19961016 (EN)

Application

EP 93908656 A 19930329

Priority

  • US 9302950 W 19930329
  • US 86085292 A 19920331

Abstract (en)

[origin: US5220247A] For driving gas discharge lamps (102, 104) having heatable filaments (102A, 102B, 104A, 104B), a circuit (100) has an inverter (132, 134) and a series-resonant LC oscillator (150, 158, 170) forming a self-oscillating inverter. The oscillator output provides filament-heating current through the filaments in series, and drives arc current serially through the lamps. A feedback transformer (174) with a winding (172) connected serially in the filament-heating current path controls the operation of the inverter. A voltage clamp (180, 182) limits the voltage applied to the lamps. The circuit does not require an output-coupling transformer to couple the output of the self-oscillating inverter to lamps, thus avoiding the added cost that the use of such a transformer would bring, while providing efficient, substantially fixed frequency operation of a wide variety of lamp loads, together with the ability to address a number of lamp fault modes. Alternatively, the lamps may be driven in parallel.

IPC 1-7

H05B 41/29

IPC 8 full level

H05B 41/24 (2006.01); H05B 41/295 (2006.01)

CPC (source: EP US)

H05B 41/295 (2013.01 - EP US); Y10S 315/05 (2013.01 - EP US)

Citation (search report)

Designated contracting state (EPC)

DE FR GB IT

DOCDB simple family (publication)

US 5220247 A 19930615; EP 0746965 A1 19961211; EP 0746965 A4 19961016; JP H07505499 A 19950615; WO 9320672 A1 19931014

DOCDB simple family (application)

US 86085292 A 19920331; EP 93908656 A 19930329; JP 51762293 A 19930329; US 9302950 W 19930329